Kovert Creative, New Denver PR firm & More

There’s always something happening in the PR universe, but here’s more on some of the big PR news currently:

Kovert Creative opens its doors

PMK*BMC veteran executives Lewis Kay and Joseph Assad left their previous positions to open up a new agency – a joint venture with VME-IMG, an entertainment and sports conglomerate though the new firm will be run independently. Kay and Assad plan to draw on their extensive digital and personal branding experience in the new business.

As reported by the Hollywood Reporter, Kay moves from his 19-year stint with PMK in New York to new offices in Los Angeles and expects to bring some of his long-time clients such as Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Will Arnett, and Jack Black with him.

Assad’s background with digital and video work included Emmy spots from Audi and an ad called “The Challenge” starring Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy. Assad will continue working from New York. The two will work as Co-CEOs of the new firm.

New Denver PR Firm

Two of Denver’s PR people have joined forces to open a new PR firm called Silvers & Jacobson, LLC. Paul Jacobson and Steven Silvers both have many years (nearly three decades) of experience in journalism, government and politics, public relations, and corporate affairs as confirmed by The Denver Business Journal. The new offices will be in the Lakewood area. S&J plans to work with big and small companies to “prepare for and address the increasingly complex challenges of business growth and crisis situations.”

Silvers previously worked as an advisor and spokesman at Noble Energy Inc., a large gas production company in Colorado with headquarters in Houston. Silvers also worked as a journalist previously and in various PR and management jobs for the Pentagon, a Fortune 500 company and two large PR agencies.

Jacobson’s background includes working on Capitol Hill for three U.S. Senators (two of them majority leaders) and many years in the gas and oil industry.

PepsiCo’s European Possibilities

According to The Holmes Report, PepsiCo is taking a look at the roster of PR companies they use for their various products in Europe. One of the major firms, Freud Communications has asked not to be included in the review. Freud represents PepsiCo in most European markets.

Freud’s’ representative stated, “We have declined to participate in the cross-Europe agency roster process. We continue to work with Walkers in the U.K. and have an exciting programme of activity locked across the year.”

There is some speculation that PepsiCo may plan to consolidate its PR efforts for European consumer products, especially since they recently eliminated their marketing procurement department. And just as a reminder, PepsiCo is much more than Pepsi-Cola, they are also Quaker Oats, Walkers, 7-Up, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, So Simple, Lays, Stacy’s ….

With all those products and options, they also are represented by numerous PR agencies around the world.

Omnicom’s various holding PR companies provide a primary source of Pepsi’s PR efforts. However, PepsiCo appears to be moving towards the individual product companies establishing separate PR efforts best suited to that product and location.

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